June 9, 2022
Welcome to the show. Today's episode is with biohacker and podcaster Steve Stavs from South Africa, whom I met at the Health Optimisation Summit held in the latter part of May 2022.
Steve Stavs’ philosophy is one of researching to reveal. He has spent his life immersing himself in knowledge and then turning these insights into actionable strategies designed to enhance the human state.
He is a successful entrepreneur, leadership coach, international lecturer, and holistic practitioner. Steve continues to run his wellness practice Regenerative Health, which he started 20 years ago. Steve then launched Made To Thrive in 2019 with the purpose of inspiring and empowering people to Superhuman Health and Performance, and—together with his team of eight coaches—ensures that people do not walk out their health journeys alone. He has aided many to reach their highest potential in all aspects of their lives and this has inspired him to take both his message and his mission to a wider audience. (You can save 15% on coaching and consulting with code BEN15 along with 5% off products in the shop with code BEN5.)
Steve draws on his background in Western Medical Practices and integrates the best of this knowledge with the profound teachings of Ancestral Living and Chinese Medicine. Thousands of patients can testify to the effectiveness of this comprehensive approach, which combines an understanding of ancient traditional cultures while including the most researched science in biochemistry, physiology, psychology, and nutrition.
An avid athlete, Steve is dedicated to exploring the boundaries of physical ability and pushing his body to its optimal performance. He is a Green Number Comrades runner and one of his ultimate goals is to run the Comrades Marathon at the age of 100. Steve supports the Community of the Hope Risen Foundation–a nonprofit organization founded by Tabitha and Rob Lage, who are passionate about ensuring humans have absolute freedom to live out their true purpose, know their why, and live according to this ethos.
Hope Risen has a vision to spread Hope, Love, and Justice in the quest to end modern-day slavery and exploitation. They are passionate about helping survivors of human trafficking shine again. The foundation runs a number of prevention and awareness initiatives alongside direct interventions to rescue, restore and reintegrate women, men, and children who have been exploited.
Steve asked me if he could interview me for his podcast, The Made To Thrive Show. I told him he could, but only if he can keep up with me on one of my aerobically and intellectually challenging “walk & talk” podcasts.
“Not a problem,” replied Steve, and I believed him—as he has covered over 40,000 running kilometers in the last 28 years. So Steve can take some steps!
And thus we took to the backstreets and parks of London during some free time from the summit and discussed many topics, such as:
- Fear vs. purpose-based motivation
- The African word for “community” and how it differs from our conception in the West
- The lost art of storytelling
- Why the “free” biohacks are just as important as the expensive gadgets found at your favorite conference
- And more…
I enjoyed our conversation so much that I wanted to share it on my podcast feed as well. So I hope you enjoy it (and you'll hear that Steve was able to keep up with me just fine!).
In this episode, you'll discover:
-Steve's description of the Comrades Marathon…06:12
- 56 miles
- 25k participants
- Promotes camaraderie and community among S. Africans
- People make changes only because they get sick, not necessarily for positive effect in life
- Podcast with Tim Noakes:
- Pursuing a weight that's not ideal for their homeostatic status
- March 26, 2020: first day of Covid lockdown; felt a field of uncertainty and fear among the people
-Fear vs. purpose-based motivation for human action…09:56
- Body awareness
- Motivation vs. purpose-based fear
- Doing good out of a healthy fear of God vs. fear of going to hell
-Ubuntu and the spirit of community…15:30
- Meaning: “I am” because “we are”
- Community: “Commune in Unity”
- You can only be truly healthy in a community perspective
- Community becomes the internal driver
- God said it's not good for man to be alone; created woman for community
- Made To Thrive
-An environment that facilitates success…20:27
- How to define environment: external vs. internal
- Brain fog affects decisions
- Podcasts on EMF:
- How To Defend Yourself Against Cell Phone Radiation (& Keep Your Laptop From Frying Your Body.)
- The Shocking Truth About You Getting “EMF*D”: 5G, Wi-Fi & Cell Phones – Hidden Harms & How To Protect Yourself
- How To Reverse The Damage From Cell Phone Radiation, Hidden Sources Of EMF, The Best Way To Measure Your EMF Exposure & Much More With Dr. Joseph Mercola!
- Why Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) Are Getting More Dangerous (Plus 11 Steps You Should Be Taking To Protect Yourself)
- The gym is chock-full of EMF
- Lights affect quality of life depending on when and what color light
- Natural incandescent lighting
- Vielight
- Joovv
- Eizo Flex or BenQ monitors
- Iris software
- Podcasts on sleep and lighting:
- My Latest Sleep Biohacks, Habits, Routines, Rituals, Longevity Tips, Parenting Strategies, Spiritual Disciplines & More!
- How Modern Lighting Can Destroy Your Sleep, Your Eyes & Your Health (& What You Can Do About It).
- What Time Of Day Can You Eat A “Cheat Meal,” How Cold Can Make You Unstoppable, Lies We’ve Been Led To Believe About Sunlight & Much More!
- Is sleep overrated?
- Yoga Nidra
- BrainTap
- NuCalm
-Storytelling as a means of building community…31:42
- Ben is a storyteller by trade (podcasts, articles, books)
- Older community members thrive on being mentors
- Life is a story
- Sabbath Ramblings: You’re Not The Hero – The Dark Side Of The Hero’s Journey.
- Spiritual Disciplines Journal
- Modern tech makes us lose the element of storytelling
- Podcast and article on building legacy:
- Access to guns paired with access to violence in media
- killology.com
- On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman
- Use stories not stats as a means of persuasion
- Health Optimisation Summit
- Human beings are wired to connect deeply to stories
-Arts and music as a means of healing…42:37
- Nikola Tesla: We're light, energy, frequency beings
- Vibratory frequency can be healing
- Photons of light can stimulate the mitochondria
- BrainTap
- We're designed to be creators, to contribute, not to consume
-Gathering and preparing food that sustains community…45:07
- We often view food as an isolated fuel, when it's a part of life
- Nourishes us physically and spiritually when consumed among the community
- View food as a part of your story, not a mass of chemicals to fuel the body
-Putting biohacking in its place regarding our quality of life…49:00
- Focus on spiritual disciplines; feed the soul as well as the body
- Ease of commercialization for biohacks, cookbooks, etc.
- Things that are free are just as important as expensive products
-The most important biohacking metrics when it comes to stress and anxiety…52:02
- Inside Tracker
- Wellness FX
- Doctor's Data
- Regular test of inflammatory levels
- Glycemic variability
- Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
- Sleep metrics (don't obsess, but be aware)
- Naturally physical active lifestyle
-The importance of having a health coach…56:15
- Ben rarely has a mentor or coach
- Education informs one's decisions
- Have zero guesswork as to actions to take
- The barrier to success is often decision-making fatigue
- Ben Greenfield Ladder app
- Knees Over Toes podcast:
-Embracing suffering to bring joy…1:00:09
- Enjoy Mondays as much as Fridays
- Ben takes every Sunday off (needs a recovery day)
- Ikigai 2.0
- Work hard, play hard
- Christian hedonism
-Ben Greenfield's message of hope for the future…1:05:17
- Recapture the Rapture by Jamie Wheal
- Podcast with Jamie Wheal:
-And much more…
-Upcoming Events:
- World Vision's Global 6K for Water on June 14. Click here to join the BGL team virtually from wherever you are for this year's Walk for Water.
- Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldlife.com/calendar
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
– Steve Stavs:
- Made To Thrive (save 15% on coaching and consulting with code BEN15 and 5% off products in the shop with code BEN5)
- Comrades Marathon
– Podcasts And Articles:
- How You’re Being Manipulated By The Sports Drink Industry And What You Can Do About It.
- How To Defend Yourself Against Cell Phone Radiation (& Keep Your Laptop From Frying Your Body.)
- The Shocking Truth About You Getting “EMF*D”: 5G, Wi-Fi & Cell Phones – Hidden Harms & How To Protect Yourself
- How To Reverse The Damage From Cell Phone Radiation, Hidden Sources Of EMF, The Best Way To Measure Your EMF Exposure & Much More With Dr. Joseph Mercola!
- Why Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) Are Getting More Dangerous (Plus 11 Steps You Should Be Taking To Protect Yourself)
- My Latest Sleep Biohacks, Habits, Routines, Rituals, Longevity Tips, Parenting Strategies, Spiritual Disciplines & More!
- How Modern Lighting Can Destroy Your Sleep, Your Eyes & Your Health (& What You Can Do About It).
- What Time Of Day Can You Eat A “Cheat Meal,” How Cold Can Make You Unstoppable, Lies We’ve Been Led To Believe About Sunlight & Much More!
- How To Build Your Legacy, Bond Your Family With Traditions, Rituals & Routines, Rites Of Passage & Much More With Rich Christiansen of Legado Family Founder.
- How To Leave A Legacy: A 6-Step Model For Building Your Family Legacy, Values, Traditions, Mission Statement & More.
- How To Get Rid Of Knee Pain Forever, The Best Knee Rehab Exercises, The Ancient Chinese Technique To Keep Your Knees Young & More With Ben Patrick, The “Knees Over Toes Guy.”
- Recapture the Rapture: Alchemist-Like Cookbooks, Carbon Dioxide & Nitric Oxide Inhalation, Sexuality, Music, Mind-Enhancing Substances & More With Jamie Wheal.
- Sabbath Ramblings: You’re Not The Hero – The Dark Side Of The Hero’s Journey.
– Books:
- On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman
- Recapture the Rapture by Jamie Wheal
– Other Resources:
- Spiritual Disciplines Journal
- Vielight
- Joovv
- Eizo Flex Monitors
- BenQ Monitors
- Iris Software
- BrainTap
- Inside Tracker
- Wellness FX
- Doctor's Data
- CGM Products
- Oura Ring
- Whoop
- Hanu Health
- Ladder App
- Ikigai 2.0
- Hope Risen Foundation
- Tabitha And Rob Lage
- killology.com
Episode sponsors:
–Levels Health: If you want to better understand how food affects your health and try a continuous glucose monitor yourself, go to levels.link/Ben to learn more. (01:43)
–Lucy Nicotine Gum: If you are looking for a cleaner and tastier alternative to other nicotine products, then this product is for you. The gum comes in three flavors – Wintergreen, Cinnamon, and Pomegranate – and the lozenges in cherry ice. To save 20% on any order, just use discount code BEN20. (03:28)
–Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more. (04:27)
–Inside Tracker: Created by leading scientists in aging, genetics, and biometrics, Inside Tracker analyzes your blood, DNA, and fitness tracking data to identify where you’re optimized—and where you’re not. (27:34)
–Timeline Nutrition: Timeline is offering 10% off your first order of Mitopure. Go to timelinenutrition.com/BEN and use code BEN to get 10% off your order. (28:35)
–Ben Greenfield Coaching: Personally vetted and trained by Ben Greenfield, these coaches will personalize your diet and lifestyle, and get you looking and feeling your best. (30:29)
Hi Ben, very nice interview. The question about fear was kind of surprising. It reminds me of my conversation with Michael Roesslein for my own podcast. I believe that unresolved (and unknown) trauma can trigger our conscious and/or unconscious motivation. Take a look at its platform www.inaura.com … his story and work may really interest you (he was also the co-producer of https://humanlongevityfilm.com/ back in 2018.
Steve is unbelievably gifted… Thanks for sharing Ben!
glad you enjoyed it Marko